Press Release: Board of Governors in violation of Federal grant-funding policies, ULFA alleges
Posted March 2, 2022 at 1:07pm
CKXU has received the following Press Release from The University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (ULFA).
Below is a transcription of the letter for Screenreaders.
Transcription for Screenreaders
-For Immediate Release-
Board of Governors in violation of Federal grant-funding policies, ULFA alleges
(Lethbridge March 1, 2022). A lockout of federally-funded research by the University of Lethbridge Board of Governors violates federal policy, the University of Lethbridge of Faculty Association (ULFA) alleges today in a letter to Nancy Walker, the University of Lethbridge’s Vice President Finance.
In the letter, ULFA calls on the board to make immediate changes to bring the University back into compliance with federal mandates.
“This is an extremely serious matter,” ULFA president Dan O’Donnell said. “As we have seen most recently at Laurentian, there is a real danger when a university administration begins to believe that it has the authority to spend funds it is supposed to be holding in trust for grantees.”
ULFA’s letter to the Vice President Finance demands that the University reverse the lockout on federally-funded research and allow grant holders to resume supervision of grant-funded employees.
“The institution must ensure that the research project and/or the grantee’s signing authority is not compromised,” the letter notes, quoting a statement from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). “Unless otherwise pre-authorized, only the grantee or authorized delegate should have access to the funds.”
“This is the fundamental problem with the Administration’s approach,” O’Donnell said. “The federal policies exist in order to ensure taxpayer money is spent appropriately. While this is qualitatively different from the situation at Laurentian, it is always dangerous when such systems break down. We call on the Administration to restore grantee access to federally-funded research and bring itself back into compliance with federal regulations.”
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Media Contacts
Dan O’Donnell
ULFA President
[email protected]
Cell: 403-393-2539
Joy Morris
ULFA Negotiating Team
[email protected]
Home: 403-524-3228
Locke Spencer
ULFA Lead Negotiator
[email protected]
Cell: 403-849-2003
Julia Brassolotto
ULFA Communications
[email protected]
647-588-3001
Please contact [email protected] with any omissions or errors in our transcription.